Many different types of support means have been devised over the years to hold nursing bottles in a manner that will minimize the attention and support of the bottle while it preferably is in suitable position to be disposed adjacent an infant who is to consume the contents of the bottle. Many types of such supporting devices have been devised to be supported upon pillows adjacent a reclining infant, suspended from transverse straps and elongated members members extending between the opposite sides of a crib, and otherwise. In addition, particularly in relation to infants being held in one arm of a person, it is conventional to support the nursing bottle by the hand of the other arm of the person supporting the infant but this situation usually occupies both hands of the supporting person so that full attention is required while the infant is consuming the contents of the nursing bottle. To free at least one hand of the person under the foregoing circumstances, quite a number of prior patents have been devised which include flexible or rigidly formed encircling members adapted to extend around the neck of the supporting person or be suspended from one shoulder of such person, such means including various types of devices which encircle or otherwise engage a nursing bottle to support the same in depending relationship from the encircling member.
Among the patents of the foregoing catagory, U.S. Pat. No. 2,924,413, to Mahoney, dated Feb. 9, 1960 includes a flexible strap having a panel-like member including elastic strap means to secure the member around the bottle while the same is suspended from the strap that encircles the neck of the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,230, to Brooks, dated Aug. 11, 1964, also shows a flexible strap adapted to encircle the neck of the wearer and a wire loop arrangement is connected to opposite ends of said strap which also engages a pair of elastic bands which extend around a nursing bottle to support the same in depending manner from the neck strap of the device U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,153, to Baucom, dated Jan. 23, 1968, also discloses a flexible strap adapted to encircle the neck of the wearer and the opposite ends thereof being adjustably connectable to vary the length of the strap, said strap supporting in rotatable manner a disc to which an elastic band is attached to connect a nursing bottle to said adjustable disc and permit angular adjustment of the disc and bottle with respect to the lower end of the encircling strap.
In accordance with the present invention, it is a principal object to obviate some of the complexities of the above-described devices and, instead, provide an extremely simple bottle supporting means of the halter type which can be manufactured and sold very inexpensively and yet is durable, comfortable to use, and effective to accomplish all of the necessary objectives to support a nursing bottle in depending manner from the neck of the person holding a infant in one arm, while freeing the hand of that arm as well as the other arm and hand for other uses, details of said improved, simplified supporting means being as follows.